Swedish oil and gas exploration company Lundin Petroleum has announced that an incident occurred yesterday morning at 01.45 on the Bredford Dolphin rig, offshore Norway.
“There was a breach in the riser 65 metres under the deck of the rig. The safety distance to the reservoir is good which means there is no risk of hydrocarbon flowing. All safety systems are intact. The well is shut in and under control, the BOP closed and the well fully secured. No one was affected by this incident and all 88 persons on board the rig are safe,” says the Managing Director Norway, Torstein Sannes s.
When the riser parted it contained water based mud and “yellow chemicals”. These chemicals are approved by the authorities and are not categorised as environmentally damaging.
The well (16/3-8 S in PL 501) is located approximately 138 km from the Rogaland coast (Utsira). Water depth is approximately 116 metres. There are strong winds in the area up to 48 knots. The company’s emergency response organisation is coordinating support services and has contacted all relevant authorities.
“Every possible action is being taken to get an overview of the situation and to confirm details of the incident. Further information will be released as it becomes available,” Lundin Petroleum said in a statement.
[mappress] January 17, 2014